17. Botis: a president and earl of the Ars Goetia

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

Spirit 17 of the Ars Goetia is Botis. The 1904 edition by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley calls him a president and earl ruling 60 legions, and the first office it gives him is this: Botis tells all things past and to come.

I read his entry in layers. The old texts come first, later additions second and modern practice last, and every part carries a label so the layers never blur.

If you came here wondering whether Botis suits a beginner, the short answer is in the Practical notes below: he is counted among the spirits that fit my beginner criteria, but only partly, as I explain.

At a glance

Historical These are the facts of the entry itself, from the 1904 text and its Observations.

• Number: 17 of 72, in the 1904 order.
• Name and spellings: Botis in 1904; other spellings: Otis (Weyer, Scot).
• Rank and legions: President and Earl, 60 legions.
• Metal of his rank (Observations): mercury (as president) or copper and silver (as earl); two ranks.
• Hours for presidents (Observations): “At any time, excepting Twilight, at Night, unless the King whom they are under be Invocated.”
• Hours for earls (Observations): “Any hour of the Day, so it be in Woods, or in any other places whither men resort not, or where no noise is.”
• In Weyer’s catalog (1577): yes, as the source comparison below shows.

The Observations also say to work only when the Moon is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14 days old. Botis holds two ranks, and the text does not say which rule applies to him. These rules show how the Goetia imagined its spirits, as officials with office hours. You do not need them to read the entry, and the facts table above gives the short version.

The seal (1904)

Historical The seal shown above is Botis’s seal as printed in the 1904 edition, in a faithful vector drawing of that public-domain printing. The Observations ask for each seal to be made in the metal of the spirit’s rank, which for Botis means mercury or copper and silver. In the text’s world the seal identifies the spirit and protects the magician; several entries say it is worn on the breast as a lamen.

No two editions draw every seal the same way. The 1904 seals reflect Mathers’s reading of the manuscripts, and many modern versions online are copies of copies. If you compare, keep track of where each drawing comes from.

Modern Looking at a seal does nothing on its own; it is a drawing in an old book. Modern practitioners almost always draw seals on paper rather than casting them in metal. Mercury, the metal of presidents, is a toxic liquid metal: never handle it or try to make anything from it. Copying Botis’s seal slowly by hand is also a good study exercise, because you notice lines and circles that the eye skips.

Appearance

Historical Botis “appeareth at the first show in the form of an ugly Viper,” then at command puts on human shape “with Great Teeth, and two Horns, carrying a bright and sharp Sword in his hand.”

Offices in the Ars Goetia

Historical These are all the offices the 1904 text gives him, in the order it gives them.

• Tells all things past and to come.
• Reconciles friends and foes.

He rules 60 legions.

Offices of harm or compulsion are part of the historical record, and reporting them is not endorsing them. For how offices work across the 72, see ranks and offices.

Source comparison: Weyer and Scot

Historical Scot’s Weyer gives “Botis, otherwise Otis, a great president and an earle,” an “ouglie viper” who in human shape shows great teeth and two horns, with a sharp sword. He answers “of things present, past, and to come,” reconciles friends and foes, and rules 60 legions. There are no significant differences.

Weyer’s catalog appeared in 1577 and Reginald Scot translated it into English in 1584. Comparing the two with the 1904 text shows how much the Goetia owes to them, and where it changed or added things. More in Weyer and Scot.

Later tradition

Later tradition This spirit has no significant later tradition outside the grimoire sources.

Modern practice and pop culture

Modern Botis’s horned human form, with sword and great teeth, is a common image in modern art of the Goetia. Some modern practitioners approach Botis for reconciliation and peacemaking.

Many modern claims about Botis, such as his personality, his likes and dislikes, or the idea that he chooses certain people, appear in no grimoire. They grew in modern books and online. You can read them with interest, and you can also leave them aside.

Beginner’s quick reference

Each line below is labeled by layer, so you can see how old each piece is.

• Rank metal and hours (Goetia): As president: mercury (toxic; never handle it); any time except twilight or night, unless his king is invoked (the wording is unclear). As earl: copper and silver; any hour of the day, in woods or other quiet places. The text does not say which rule applies.
• Planet (later tradition: Golden Dawn and Crowley’s 777): Mars and Mercury, one planet for each rank. For earls, 777 gives Mars, following the 1904 editor’s note, rather than the Venus and Moon of their copper and silver.
• Decan and day or night spirit (later tradition: 777): Virgo, second decan (10 to 20 degrees); day spirit. 777 decan incense: “Srorus” (unidentified).
• Commonly reported color, incense, and plant (modern UPG; sources copy each other): Color orange (sometimes with red); incense storax; plant lily (reported in some sources; toxic to cats, not recommended in a home with cats).
• Associated symbols: Goetia image: an ugly viper; later a man with great teeth, two horns, and a bright sword. 777 Magical Image: the same image. Modern Demonolatry/UPG: the seal, used as an altar image.
• Associated offerings: Modern practice, not in the Goetia manuscripts: most often listed, storax and dragon’s blood resin; one source adds frankincense and non-material gifts such as watching a horror film or a training session.

Incense means smoke. If you burn any, use a stick or cone with a window open, no charcoal indoors, and none at all in a home with pet birds or anyone with asthma. A plant listed here is a correspondence, not something to eat or burn, and a plant without a warning is not automatically safe. Modern offering lists copy one another, so “most often listed” means widely copied, not confirmed. Water, light, time or a note of thanks is always enough.

Practical notes

Botis holds two ranks, president and earl, neither a king. His offices are divination and reconciliation, with no harm. He fits the beginner criteria partly; he has no teaching office. A question about your own role in a conflict, not about changing another person, would be the appropriate framing. Reconciliation with real people happens in real conversation.

The beginner criteria I use have three parts: the spirit is not a king, at least one office is teaching, and the entry does not center on harm, deception or compulsion. In the directory, Botis is counted among the 31 spirits that fit, with the caution above.

To compare Botis with other spirits of his rank, read Buer and Glasya-Labolas. Presidents are a group of 14 in the 1904 Classified List, several of whom hold a second rank. Their metal in the Observations is mercury, and their hour rule is the most confusing sentence in that section. Many presidents have teaching offices: arts and sciences, herbs, logic or astronomy.

How to study this entry

If Botis interests you, start with study. These steps work for any of the 72.

1. Read the offices above in order and write each one in your own words.
2. Compare the 1904 wording with Scot’s English in The Discoverie of Witchcraft (Book 15, chapter 2), which is free to read online.
3. Copy the seal by hand, slowly, and note anything you missed at first glance.
4. Keep a two-column log: what the text says on the left, and what you have read online or feel about it on the right.

Then go back to all 72 spirits and read a neighbor or two. The entries make more sense side by side than alone.